Have You Someone to Protect?
by lkuecrar
Summary: Sesshomaru reflects on his life with Rin, and realizes how important she is to him when she gets hurt. Sesshomaru x (Teen)Rin


AN: Hi InuYasha fanfiction readers! This is a new place for me to write, but not to read! This was the first fandom I read on fanfiction! I'm new to writing for these characters, but not new to writing, so hopefully it won't be dreadful! Thanks for reading, and don't forget to _**REVIEW!**_

* * *

The sun was beating down brightly. The laughter of a young woman could be heard throughout the field of wildflowers, and down to the bank of the small stream.

There was a splash followed by loud squawking from the small green demon that had just been pushed into the water. "Rin! You stupid girl! How dare you!"

The girl didn't seem to mind his insults; in fact, she just seemed to laugh harder with each insult. Her brown eyes twinkled with happiness, causing the small demon to turn purple. Sitting at the top of the hill leading down to the stream was a dog demon, watching over his two companions in the stream.

Lord Sesshomaru surprised himself the day he revived the human girl in the stream. Be it from wanting to test the sword his father left him, or wanting to repay a debt to the girl who tried to care for him when no one else would, Sesshomaru wasn't sure why he saved her from death.

That was eleven years ago, when Rin had been only seven years old. The girl had been orphaned by a bandit attack; her entire family had been slaughtered. The attack had left her mute; she didn't speak for weeks. Finally, one day, she just began to speak like it wasn't out of the ordinary. Rin was, and still is, very talkative. Sesshomaru, on the other hand, didn't speak much at all. Rin did enough for the both of them.

_Speak of the devil and she will come_. A smiling Rin was coming towards him with her bow in hand. The sun was shining on her mahogany hair, making it have tinges of red. She was wearing a simple blue kimono that is easy to travel in, although she was still barefooted. "Lord Sesshomaru, may I go find something to eat?"

The demon lord nodded towards her. "Jaken."

The small demon bowed as his name was called. "Go with her."

Jaken popped up from his bowed position immediately. "Yes Lord Sesshomaru!"

Rin's face lit up. "Thank you, milord!" She bounded into the forest without warning, and left Jaken screaming for her to wait for him. When the two left, a small smirk graced his face. _Jaken can't even handle my Rin._

The smirk fell off his face at his last thought. _My Rin? Where did that come from?_ Rin had been traveling with him for a long time, for a human, minus the few years she stayed in Edo with the village priestess and his half-demon brother. He cringed inwardly at the memory of those few years. Sesshomaru had never been one to worry; he had never had anything to worry about. Until he learned what his brother and his mate had been teaching Rin while he was away.

* * *

Sesshomaru was making his way towards Edo for his visit with Rin. He had managed to make it a once every two months thing, even though he longed to visit her much more often. The demon lord looked down at the package in his hands, which held another new kimono for Rin. Every visit he made, he presented Rin with a gift. Sometimes he would bring a kimono, others, a new perfume. The human girl would always be delighted and give him that smile that she reserved for him, and only him.

As he neared the village, a scent that he never wanted to smell hit his nostrils: Rin's blood_._ The demon took off through the forest until he came out at the village. He quickly headed towards the southern end of the village where there had been an impromptu archery range set up. When he arrived, all he could see was Rin wearing traditional priestess clothing. She was holding a bow and had blood running down her forearm.

Sesshomaru had been incensed when he learned that Kagome had been teaching her archery. Kagome and Sesshomaru had gotten into an argument that showed no signs of letting up. That's when Rin finally began to try to stop it. When both ignored her, she finally screamed for them to shut up.

Rin looked shocked at herself, while Sesshomaru looked at her with her eyebrows raised and Kagome with her mouth hanging open. Rin dragged the demon lord away to her favorite place, a meadow near the Bone-Eater's Well.

When they stopped, Rin turned and looked at him expectantly. She said nothing; she just waited. Finally, the demon turned to look at her with anger in his eyes. "Do you think that this Sesshomaru cannot protect you?"

Rin looked shocked. "No, milord! That isn't at all why Rin has taken up archery! I—"

Sesshomaru didn't let her finish. "Then why?"

Rin was shaking. She was so angry at being cut off and interrogated by her Lord. She thought he would be proud. "Because I thought it would make you proud of me! I've always just been a useless and weak human pet to you!"

Sesshomaru was so surprised that his face reflected what he was feeling. _Pet?_ "Rin. You are not a pet. Where did you get such an idea?"

Rin looked down. "No one had to tell me; I knew. I've always known what a burden I am to you, milord. Even Master Jaken is more useful than Rin."

An odd feeling was taking over the demon lord. _Is this pity? _"Rin."

The girl looked up. She had tears in her eyes. Sesshomaru felt constricted. _Why do I feel this way at the sight of her tears? _Instead of saying anything he stepped towards her and wrapped his arms around her.

The quick beating of her heart and the shallow breaths she was taking just emphasized how nervous she was. _Is she afraid of me?_ "Why are you nervous? Do I scare you?" The thought of Rin being afraid of him made the constricting feeling even worse.

Rin looked shocked. "No milord! Wait—that didn't come out right. Everyone should fear you! But, I don't fear you in the sense that you would harm me! That didn't make sense either. I—"

I gave her a small smile. She looked shocked. "I understand what you mean." Rin smiled and put her head back on my chest. Thoughts began to cross my mind. _Why was she bleeding? Why archery?_

I asked her. She chose to answer why she was bleeding first. "The string scraped my arm when I released the arrow. It was a stupid mistake that a beginner would make."

Her demeanor immediately changed back to nervous before she answered why she chose archery over swordplay. She stepped back out of my arms and looked down at the ground and began twiddling her thumbs. "Well, um, you see—I didn't choose between the two. I chose both."

My eyes narrowed at her. The sixteen year old began to speak quickly. "It would be stupid to only learn how to fight from far off! What if someone or something snuck up on Rin?"

My eyes narrowed even more. "This Sesshomaru would kill it."

She looked up. I could see she didn't like that answer. "What if you were away, though? What if an attack happened between your visits?"

I didn't like where this was going. "So you don't trust your Lord to protect you."

Rin began to look frustrated. "How could you protect me if you weren't near? There is no way, even you, could know that something was wrong if you were miles away."

I knew what she said was true, but my pride was getting the best of me. "You are being foolish."

The girl looked amazed. Amazed and angry. Very angry. She let out of harrumph and turned around and began walking away. My eyes widened at her disobedience. _She's spent too much time with my half-breed brother._ At the thought of her spending time with InuYasha, I let out a growl. _I bet he is the one teaching her how to use a sword! He is the only one here with the knowledge!_ I calmed myself, surprised at how many emotions Rin could stir up in me. When I had my emotions under control, I turned around expecting to see Rin. She wasn't there. _She left me!_

I followed her scent back to the where I first found her. The girl stood there still as a statue before releasing arrow after arrow with deadly precision into the targets. She had wrapped a cloth around her scraped arm, and continued firing arrows. Even I was impressed with her archery skills. _Maybe it isn't such a bad thing to let her learn._

I heard Rin call out for me without turning to look at me. "I think I should just go ahead and tell you now." The steady thunk of arrows embedding themselves in the targets never ceased.

I heard Rin take in a trembling breath. "Lady Kagome and Lady Kaede say that I have spiritual powers, like a priestess. That's the main reason Kagome wanted to teach me archery. Watch."

My eyes widened as the last arrow she fired was engulfed in a blue light. Instead of embedding in the target, the target turned to ash. _How have I never sensed it?_

Rin finally turned around. Her eyes were red, but she wasn't crying. "I've been afraid to tell you; you aren't going to want me to travel with you anymore, are you?"

_The girl has a mind that can get away from her_. "Why would this Sesshomaru not want you to travel with him anymore?"

Rin looked shocked. "Because you are a demon, milord. Rin is as far from one as you can get, even by human standards."

_She has given me many reasons today to not allow her to travel with me again. Does she not wish to leave this place? _I made a spur of the moment decision. "If you wish to follow this Sesshomaru, gather your things. I will wait at the bridge leaving the village." I turned on my heels and walked away. _Those two priestesses are going to attack me the next time they see me for taking Rin away from them._

Minutes later, Rin joined my side with a bag full of her belongings. We walked back to where I had left Jaken and Ah-Un; things were back to how they should be.

* * *

I opened my eyes and looked towards the sky. The past two years with Rin back at my side have been… different, to say the least.

* * *

A few weeks after returning to my side, Rin had been bathing when a wolf demon came upon her. I heard her scream and ran as quickly as I could towards her. When I arrived, a stark naked Rin stood over the body of a male demon. She had a few small cuts littering her body. When she looked up and found me staring at her, she began to cry.

My eyes widened. _Had the demon hurt her worse than I thought?_ The girl ran into my arms and began to wail. "I killed him Lord Sesshomaru! I didn't mean to! It just happened!"

I took off the top layer of my clothing and wrapped it around her shoulders, and then I just let her cry onto me. _It seems that, even with training, she is still kind-hearted._

After that, I didn't see Rin as a little girl anymore. She had grown into a woman. Others had begun to notice as well, the more she grew, the more beautiful she became. Suitors, human and demon, continuously harassed her. I had killed plenty of them, but they kept coming. Each time we entered a village there would be at least three men to ask for Rin's hand in marriage.

The women of the villages hated Rin for her beauty. One of them called Rin "that demon's whore" to one of her friends. Rin heard the insult, and promptly beat the woman up. I wore a smirk on my face for days after Rin taught the woman a lesson. We avoided villages after that whenever we could.

* * *

Ever since the suitors had begun showing up, I had become increasingly aggressive with them. _It is as if I am jealous._ I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of nature around me. Ah-Un's heavy breathing as they slept in the bright sun was the loudest sound by far, though.

I could hear Rin and Jaken returning quickly. Moments before they arrived, I caught the scent of Rin's tears. I was up in an instant, looking towards the edge of the forest. When I saw the two come through the line of trees, I felt a heavy feeling in my chest at the sight of Rin cradling her arm to her body. _What happened?_

I was at Rin's side in a flash. "What happened?" My voice was rough; the smell of her tears had made me unsettled.

Rin looked up at me, and then down at her arm. She held it out. It was bent at an unnatural angle; it was definitely broken. I repeated my question.

Rin took in a shuddering breath. "Someone set a trap for an animal, I think. I stepped on what I thought to be solid ground, but I fell for about ten feet before I hit the bottom of the pit. I landed on my arm."

I looked at Jaken with a menacing glare. "Why did you let her step into a pitfall, Jaken?"

Before I could do anything to Jaken, Rin gripped my arm. "It wasn't his fault; he was trying to make me slow down. I didn't listen to him."

I looked away from Jaken and back to Rin. "I'm taking you to InuYasha's mate so she can fix your arm." Rin nodded.

I scooped Rin up into my arms and heard her squeak. I leapt into the sky and began flying towards Edo. Rin tucked her head into the mokomoko.

My emotions must've been showing on my face, because Rin asked what was wrong. In a gruff voice I replied. "This Sesshomaru doesn't like it when Rin cries."

Rin smiled at me, even through her pain. She reached a hand up to my face and held it. "I'm sorry, milord."

I said nothing and continued traveling to Edo. We reached the village as the sun was going down. I quickly located Kagome and landed in front of her. I could feel the villagers' eyes all over me. I set Rin down in front of her and spoke. "She broke her arm."

Kagome immediately slung her basket of herbs onto her shoulder and lead Rin to the hut at the center of the village. The older priestess had died a year back, causing Kagome to become the official village priestess. Once inside, Kagome set Rin down at the table and went to get some supplies. She returned back momentarily with a large piece of cloth and told Rin to bite down on it. My alarm was rising when I heard this, as was Rin's.

With no warning, the priestess set the bone. There was an audible snap and Rin let out a scream through the cloth. I growled at Kagome until Rin grabbed my hand with her good arm and shook her head at me.

Kagome finished making a sling in a few moments. She told Rin to take the herbs she had been given if there was any pain, and then left the hut.

Before Rin could speak, I turned and pulled her into my arms. _I'm so tired of pretending; she could be gone any day and I still haven't told her how important she is to me._ I could feel Rin's shock, and just held her tighter. She finally relaxed and put her unbroken arm around my neck and tucked her head into the crook of my shoulders.

I let out a shuddering sigh and began to speak. "Rin. This Sesshomaru is going to come with you when you need to find food."

Rin looked down. "Why do you put up with me? I'm such a burden to you and Master Jaken."

My head snapped up. I was angry. "How many times do I have to tell you that you are not a burden?"

She let out a bitter laugh. I was shocked that sweet Rin could let out such a sad sound. "Maybe I would believe you if I wasn't here with a broken arm. I manage to get hurt doing the simplest of things. I AM a burden."

I didn't know what to do. _Maybe if I…_ My lips pressed against hers. I could feel her go rigid, and then melt into the kiss. There wasn't a better feeling than having her pressed against me while we kissed.

After a while she broke it off and looked at me. "But… I'm human. You hate humans."

I looked down. "Rin. _My _Rin. You are not just any human. You are the only person to ever have made this Sesshomaru feel things like this, demon or human. You are _mine._"

Rin had tears in her eyes. _Maybe she doesn't feel the same._ I had just begun to unwrap my arms from her when she kissed me. I heard her take in a shuddering sigh. "I love you, Sesshomaru."

I had her back in my arms in an instance. _She feels the same._ I held her for a long while, wary of her broken arm. We just enjoyed the other's presence. _She is mine, and nothing is going to take her away from me_.

I began thinking of the last memory I have of my father. _Do you have someone to protect?_ At the time, I brushed the comment off, even felt offended by it. But now... _Father, I have someone to protect._ I brought my attention to the human in my arms at the intake of her breath.

Rin spoke after a while of silence. "I wonder what Master Jaken will say?" She giggled and I just cracked a small smile at her and kissed her again.

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AN: I've never written anything for InuYasha, so I hope they weren't too terribly out of character. I'm pretty sure Sesshomaru was at the very end. I have a Skyrim story that I should be writing a new chapter for, but I've been reading Rin and Sesshomaru fictions like crazy for the past week. I wanted to contribute!

Thanks for reading; don't forget to favorite and _**REVIEW**_. If you can't tell, I like love when people review my stories! Thanks for reading!


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